Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.

IRAQ

Inside the Surge -- [Healing Iraq - Iraqi in Iraq]
I asked Zaidan what sort of deal had led to the Sunni Awakening. “It’s not a deal,” he said, bristling. “People have come to realize that our fate is tied to the Americans’, and theirs to ours. If they are successful in Iraq, it will depend on Anbar. We always said this. Time was lost. America was lost, but now it’s woken up; it now holds a thread in its hand. For the first time, they’re doing something right.”
Zaidan said that Anbar’s Sunni tribes no longer had any need to exact blood vengeance on U.S. forces. “We’ve already taken our revenge,” he said. “We’re the ones who’ve made them crawl on their stomachs, and now we’re the ones to pick them up.” He added, “Once Anbar is settled, we must take control of Baghdad, and we will.” There would have to be a lot more fighting before the capital was taken back from the Shiites, he said. “The Anbaris will take charge of the purge. What the whole world failed to do in Anbar, we have done overnight. Baghdad will be a lot easier.”

Sunni Warlords Reconsider -- [Strategy Page]
November 14, 2007: The centuries old battle between Sunni and Shia Moslems in Iraq has just shifted gears. Sunni Arab groups that have been fighting since 2003 to regain power, have renounced their 2004 alliance with al Qaeda and sought to eliminate al Qaeda militias in their territory. What is unclear, both to foreigners and the Shia dominated government of Iraq, is what the Sunni Arab warlords will do next.

Last days in Mosul

CNN rides with soldiers of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment on one of their last missions in Mosul, Iraq.
November 13, 2007

Baath Holds The White Flag -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
The formation of a so called political council for Iraqi resistance was met by different reactions from the public and the politicians who are now divided into proponents and opponents. Whereas the Accord Front called for mediation between the council and the government some parties in the UIA see that the council cannot be negotiated with and declared it a continuation of the former regime

GOP finds solid ground on Iraq war -- [The Politico]
For the first time since losing control of Congress in 2006, Republicans are back on offense in the political struggle over the Iraq war, as Democratic plans to force a change in strategy by President Bush through peeling away his GOP support continue to yield few results.
Republicans are increasingly buoyed by perceived divisions among Democrats, seeming signs of progress on the ground in Iraq and the fact that the first brigade of U.S. troops started coming home Tuesday.

Unit Blasts 'Desperate' AQI Element

Footage of U.S. helicopters engaging two buildings and a tower from which an insurgent force was firing.

Iraq: Positive Signs -- [Stratfor]
The latest reports concerning the war in Iraq suggest the situation is looking up for the United States. First, U.S. military and Iraqi civilian casualties continue to fall. Second, there are confirmed reports that Sunni insurgents controlled by local leaders have turned on al Qaeda militants, particularly those from outside the country. Third, the head of U.S. Central Command, in an interview with the Financial Times, implied that an attack against Iran is a distant possibility.

Are We Winning in Iraq? -- [Time]
The reduction of violence is real. The defeat of Al Qaeda in Iraq--sneezed at by some antiwar commentators--is nothing to sneeze at. The bottom-up efforts to reconcile Sunnis and Shi'ites across the scarred Anbar/Karbala provincial border, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, quite possibly reflect an Iraqi exhaustion with violence that has to be taken seriously as well. There is no question that the performance of the US military has improved markedly under the smarter, more flexible and creative leadership provided this year by General Petraeus. And the withdrawal of U.S. troops is beginning. The refusal of the antiwar movement--or some sections of it--to recognize these developments isn't helping its credibility.

Winning the Iraq War? -- [Outside the Beltway]
David Sands and Sharon Behn join a growing chorus asking, “Are we winning the war?”
While stopping short of declaring victory, they cite “a growing number of indicators that the fighting has taken a new, more hopeful turn.” Most of them are familiar: lower casualties among American troops and Iraqi civilians, fewer mortar attacks, and the like. Those things tend to be cyclical and could be construed negatively as well — for example, as evidence that ethnic cleansing has done its dirty job or that we’ve given up fighting in certain territories. This, however, is good news:

Citizenship Ceremony

Footage of the largest Naturalization Ceremony in Iraq. Scenes include service members observing the speeches and walking up to receive their certificate. Also see "Troops Become Citizens" in the package section and "Spc. Madut" and "Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff" in the interview section.

Turkish Special Forces Attack PKK Inside Iraq -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Just over a week after President Bush promised Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan aid in fighting PKK, Turkish special forces attacked across the border into Iraq. The limited action, apparently consisting of helicopter gunship raids on two villages, is a clear sign of more cross-border activity to come, as the army basically promised last week after the meeting. Reports after last week's meeting indicated that the U.S. would provide detailed intelligence which would enable the Turkish military to hit specific PKK targets, and Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki publicly signaled his government's support for Turkish incursions. "The prime minister renewed the willingness of the Iraqi government to take steps to isolate the terrorist PKK, prevent any help reaching its members, chase and arrest them, and put them in front of the Iraqi judiciary because of their terrorist activities."

Operation Iron Hammer targets al Qaeda in Iraq’s north -- [LWJ]
Multinational Forces Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces maintain pressure on al Qaeda’s network in the northern provinces, where violence has increased. Over 200 insurgents have been detained in latest sweep.

Targeting al Qaeda in Iraq's Network -- [Weekly Standard - Roggio]
U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces are maintaining the pressure on al Qaeda in Iraq's network nationwide and October netted the highest number of senior terror leaders since the surge went into full effect in June. While Coalition forces have degraded al Qaeda's network inside Baghdad and in the Belts, the terror group is attempting to regroup in the north and east.
The daily raids conduct by Task Force 88, the hunter-killer teams assigned to dismantle al Qaeda's network in Iraq, have resulted in significant losses for the terror network. Forty-five senior al Qaeda in Iraq operatives were killed or captured during the month of October, said Colonel Donald Bacon, the Chief of Strategy and Plans, Strategic Communications at Multinational Forces Iraq, in an interview on November 13. Among those captured or killed include: ...

Aid and comfort -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]

U.S. Army Capt. Edmond Hardy of 1st Armored Division, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 4th Squadron, Outlaw Troop commander holds a local child and her new toy monkey while giving orders during an aide mission in the Al Doreen neighborhood of Iraq, Oct. 14. Outlaw Troop handed out blankets, toys and kerosene heaters in preparation for the winter months. Photo Spc. Larayne Hurd.

Scouting In Baghdad? Who’d Have Thought…-- [A Soldier’s Mind]
One thing that’s a normal part of growing up in the United States is Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Many of us probably participated in these organizations when we were younger and our children may have as well. In Iraq, that’s been quite a different story. Thanks to coalition volunteers though, that’s quickly changing.

SADDAM FAKED HAVING WMD ARSENAL TO TRICK IRAN -- [NY Daily News]
..."What better way to do that than have the Americans think he had WMDs?" Kessler told me last week. If true, that was as big a miscalculation by Saddam as the decision by the U.S. to invade Iraq. It's also worth asking why the Bush White House and U.S. intelligence community never seriously considered that scenario to explain his actions.
The book reveals that Saddam had little affection or trust for his two maniac sons Uday and Qusay, who were slain in a firefight with American troops. When an FBI agent pressed him about his relationship with them, Saddam snapped back: "Leave me alone. You don't get to pick your kids. You're stuck with what you're given."

Saddam Admits Bluffing on WMD

Are you ready for some (Iraqi) football? -- [Fightin 6th Marines]
Cpl. Bryce Muhlenberg is our correspondent with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, out in Habbaniyah, around 14 km west of Fallujah, straddling the highway that runs between Ramadi and here. He recently watched some of the first league-play football (soccer for us Americans) to take place in years there. It may be difficult to comprehend exactly how important football is in the lives of folks here, but it is more than just sport to Iraqis.

Doors of learning reopen at Baghdad University -- [Yahoo]
BAGHDAD, (AFP) - One month into the new academic year and education at the sprawling University of Baghdad is as near to normal as it has been for years -- the grisly killings of two professors and two students aside.
Educators at the tree-lined, garden-sprinkled campus on the banks of the Tigris River are upbeat that 2007-2008 will restore the university's reputation for excellence that it has enjoyed since it was established 50 years ago

Awakening in the Balance of Iraq: Insurgents Turned Constable -- [The Captain’s Journal]
...But settle we are, whether the Sunnis like their new station (deposed along with Saddam) or not. The future is uncertain. If this approach is successful, a paradox presents itself to senior leadership, this paradox being unrelated to Iraq, per se. We will continue to send Marines to Mohave Viper to train prior to deployment, yet it appears that their mission will be one primarily of neighborhood diplomacy and constabulary operations, perhaps to the detriment of morale among at least some of the troops

AFGHANISTAN

Kochis HA Drop -- [6 Months In Kabul - in Afghanistan]
Today we accomplished a lot. I will only comment on part of the day because I don't want to discuss ongoing projects for security reasons. I asked the interpreters to hand out the gifts that people sent from back home. I did not go with them for security reasons. The interpreters were able to film the whole thing so fortunately I was able to view it.

Humanitarian Aid in Kabul

Footage of aid given to Afghan's in Kabul. Scenes include footage of the surrounding mountains, Soldiers working with local children, giving aid with the Afghan army and interviews.

RISE OF THE NEO-TALIBAN, Part 2 -- [Asia Times]
While I was waiting in a village mud mosque, several motorbikes emerged from the evening darkness along a dirt track.
Four strongly built men stopped in front of me and alighted, their
faces flushed from their ride. They each gave me a hug, and their traditional Punjabi greeting was music to my ears after listening to a lot of Pushtu.
I asked the obvious question: "Are you Punjabi?" The concern on their faces was immediately noticeable. "No! We belong to this land and like many Afghans we were settled in Punjab [in Pakistan] and therefore learnt Punjabi and forgot Pashtu, but now we are back in our land and have learnt our language again," one of the men explained.

Pushing Beyond -- [1romad - in Afghanistan]
A few days ago I went up a mountain, and then came back down.
It's strange how a simple sentence can say so much and so little at the same time.
In reality I climbed about 2000 feet in elevation and covered at least two klicks (as the crow flies, definitely not as the goat climbs) in 2 hours and 20 minutes with my full combat loadout plus a ruck filled with day and night gear and stopped (so I wouldn't pass out) for less than 5 minutes two or three times.
Now that sentence comes closer, but still does not convey the agony. After the first thirty minutes I thought I had reached my limit. Everything after the first thirty minutes came from some deep reserve that we rarely tap.

Freeing feeling -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
...After a morning spent tediously inventorying weapons by serial number at the ANP provincial headquarters in downtown Ghazni, we paused for lunch.
An ANP general insisted we join him at a nearby restaurant. So, the three of us hopped into his SUV sans body armor and helmets and rolled over to the restaurant, which was on the second floor of a commercial building.
Once at the restaurant, the prudent thing to do would be to find a secluded corner and try not to draw attention to ourselves. Instead, we chose to eat out on the balcony for all of Ghazni to see.

New medical facility opens in Ghazni Province -- [ISAF News Release]
“The emergency room facility took about three months to build,” said Navy Lt. Jeff Ammon, Ghazni PRT project payment officer and engineer. “The project, which costs about $35,000, was a very cost effective building that has quality workmanship.”
The opening ceremony also commemorated the donation provided by the Ghazni PRT of more than 84 types of critical equipment and supplies, which is worth more than $150,000.

ISAF gives seven villages in Baghlan pure water -- [ISAF News Release]
8 Nov. - Hungarian Provincial Reconstruction Team and ISAF Regional Command North bring pure drinking water.

Troops should stay in Kandahar past 2009 deadline, Clinton tells summit -- [EIN News]
... calls Taliban a major problem NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont.–Canadian troops should stay in Afghanistan past the current 2009 deadline despite the ... successor, George W. Bush, for concentrating U.S. military efforts on neighbouring Iraq. "The U.S. has ...

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Another Pro-American Leader Wins Re-Election in Denmark -- [Gateway Pundit]
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a staunch supporter of President Bush and the War on Terror led his party to a big win in Denmark today.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen enters a celebration held in his honor Tuesday Nov. 13, 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Fogh Rasmussen declared victory in Tuesday's election after near-complete results showed his center-right government defeated the left-wing opposition. (AP Photo/John McConnico)

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Rumor: Zawahiri Places Bin Laden Under 'House Arrest' -- [Jawa Report]
I can't find the original at Islammemo, but here's the post about it over at al Jazeera Talk. The other jihadis, two of them using the flag for the Islamic State of Iraq--an al Qaeda 'umbrella' organization--for an avatar, aren't too happy about the suggestion that al Qaeda's #2 has placed al Qaeda's #1 under 'house arrest'.

Meanwhile, In The Nooks and Crannies -- [Strategy Page]
November 14, 2007: The war on terror is being fought in lots of places you never hear about. There have been lots of victories. But since success does not attract as much attention as failure, you rarely hear about the wins. There have been a lot of them.
Al Qaeda has been trying to establish itself in northern Nigeria, where most of the people are Moslem. Sharia (Islamic) law has been established in some parts of the north. This was done to deal with the rampant corruption, but has not worked. Mainly it has inflamed the already testy relations between Moslems and Christians.

Video Games: Crucial Front in the War of Ideas -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Today's New York Sun has an op-ed I co-authored with my boss, University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies director, V.S. Subrahmanian on incorporating video games into the war of ideas against Islamist extremism.

Don't Discount the Mall -- [ThreatsWatch]
Live Your Life; Maintain Your Vigilance
The FBI recently reported an “unsubstantiated” terrorist threat to shopping malls in the US. The report was quickly challenged by terrorism experts of various stripes as very un-al-Qaeda and unlikely to occur. As the conventional wisdom holds: al-Qaeda doesn’t do malls, it does monuments. We might challenge the wisdom of the conventional. Consider that just a few weeks ago suspected similarly inspired terrorists detonated a bomb at the Glorietta mall in the Philippines, killing eight and wounding almost 100. This...

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

America Supports You: Ceremony Recognizes Extraordinary Troop Support -- [Defense Link]
NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2007 – Americans who offer extraordinary support to the nation’s servicemembers got the red-carpet treatment yesterday during a luncheon held in their honor at the famous Rainbow Room restaurant here.
...The winners are:
-- Outstanding Effort Award: Soldiers’ Angels. Patti Patton-Bader started the organization when she discovered her son, who was serving in Iraq, was giving the care packages she was sending to troops who weren’t getting any mail. Since its beginning, the group has grown to include more than 100,000 volunteers who regularly send care packages to servicemembers as well as other programs that benefit military families.

Help Veterans Continue Their Education -- [IAVA]
Eight million veterans got their education thanks to the World War II GI Bill, which covered tuition, fees, and books, and gave veterans a living stipend while they were in school. A 1988 Congressional study proved that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue.

MILITARY

All Military Components Meet, Exceed Recruiting Goals -- [Stop the ACLU]
The first month of fiscal 2008 was a success for all active and reserve military components.
In a meeting with Pentagon reporters today, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said all components met or exceeded their recruiting goals for October.
On the active-duty side, the Army made 101 percent of its goal of 4,500, with 4,564 recruits. The Navy made 100 percent of its goal of 2,788 recruits. The Marine Corps made 102 percent of its goal of 2,720, with 2,788 enlisting. The Air Force made 100 percent of its goal of 2,656.

Providing A Chance For Soldiers To Tell Their Stories -- [A Soldier’s Mind]
For those of us who have family members who have served in the military, how much do we really know about their service? For instance, my grandfather served in World War I in France and was exposed to Mustard Gas. That’s about all I know of his military service. According to my dad, my grandfather never talked much about his experiences during the War and it’s too late to ask him, because he passed away when I was 6 years old. The Army Historical Foundation, however, is making possible for family members and the public to learn about a Soldier’s tour in the Army, through a new program their launching.

Suicidal GIs -- [Jules Crittenden]
And when you think about it, an increase of only 1 to 3 suicides per 100,000 is pretty remarkable, when we’re talking about people who are considerably more likely to have seen friends die, to have narrowly avoided death, to have expected to die, and to have killed people than the other 100,000 Americans they are being compared to. In addition to being separated from loved ones and living in stressful circutmstances for long periods of time.
Yes, war is stressful. Yes, war can make you crazy and suicidal. We’re aware of that and have seen the many news reports. Apparently, it’s a lot like real life that way.

WELCOME HOME

Soldier returns home to surprise celebration -- [Port Clinton News Herald]
PORT CLINTON --U.S. Army Sgt. Travis McCleary might have expected a few friends and family members for his homecoming.
He did not expect two police cars, three fire trucks, an ambulance and a handful of other vehicles to escort his girlfriend's car from Ohio 2 to Perry Street, then Madison and Second Street Wednesday evening.
He did not expect nearly three dozen people, including the mayor, safety-service director and a Wolf Scout pack braving chilly temperatures to welcome him home.
A homemade banner reading "Welcome Home Travis" hung from the front wall of 222 Second St., where his girlfriend, Sarah Schoen, lives.

POLITICS

Reid Playing Hardball? -- [Weekly Standard]
The AP reports:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that Democrats won't approve more money for the Iraq war this year unless President Bush agrees to begin bringing troops home.

Good Grief, Here We Go Again -- [The Daily Brief]
According to this story, this lot of blue-nosed busy-bodies is having another go at banning mags like Penthouse and Playboy from being sold in military PXs and bookstores on base. God save us, and as a small “f” feminist and mother I object to acres of objectified flesh on display next to the Air Force Times and “Family Circle” as much as any other woman with taste.
But hey, to each their own. I am fully cognizant of the fact that the military is largely made up of men. Most of them are young men, supposedly straight, and historically with an abiding interest in the female form – either in the flesh or pictorially. This is just one of those facts of life that one has to accept, as tacky as the morally over-fastidious may find it.

THE MEDIA

Newsweek Welcomes Kos as Political Contributor -- [Gateway Pundit]
Newsweek picks up Kos.
Above: A scene from Fallujah, Iraq. (charred bodies hanging from bridge)
Newsweek announced that it is adding Markos "Screw Them" Moulitsas to its staff. Daily Kos reported:
MARKOS MOULITSAS, FOUNDER AND PUBLISHER OF DAILYKOS.COM,
TO BECOME NEWSWEEK CONTRIBUTOR FOR 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
New York -- Markos Moulitsas, the founder and publisher of dailykos.com, will become a Newsweek contributor for the 2008 presidential campaign, offering occasional opinion pieces to the pages of the magazine and to Newsweek.com.

The Next Abu Ghraib Abuse Scandal: Laughing -- [Jawa Report]
If you read David Smith's embed journal today over at The Guardian, you really have to wonder if this guy is a moron or just a complete tool. In it he recounts how a patrol in Baghdad picks up some young men as potential terrorists. The young men are bound and blindfolded.
Why is Smith an asshat of an embed? Because he emphasizes over and over just how scary it must be to be one of the suspects, and the tone of the piece is that the "barely out of their teens" suspects are probably not guilty of anything.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)